42-31044 Boeing B-17G-1-BO Her Did
Delivered Cheyenne 10/9/43; Assigned 350BS/100BG Thorpe Abbotts 24/9/43; transferred 340BS/97BG Depienne 5/10/43; Cerignola 20/12/43; Amendola 16/1/44; Missing in Action Verona, It. 14/2/44 with Frank Chaplick, Cowell, Sedgely, Baron Wounded in Action, Bradley, Grilliott (7 Returned to Duty); Householder, Duca, Murphy (3 Killed in Action); enemy aircraft, ditched 100 yds offshore at Calvi, Corsica; crew all swum ashore; Missing Air Crew Report 2395.
Joseph P Baron
Assigned to 340BS, 97BG, 15AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Verona 14-Feb-44 in B-17 42-31044; attacked by fighters, ditched off the coast off Calvi in Corsica. Returned to Duty (RTD) MACR 2395
Frank Earl Bradley
Assigned to 340BS, 97BG, 15AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Verona 14-Feb-44 in B-17 42-31044; attacked by fighters, ditched off the coast off Calvi in Corsica. Returned to Duty (RTD) MACR 2395
Frank G Chaplick
Assigned to 340BS, 97BG, 15AF Failed to Return (FTR) Verona 14-Feb-44 in B-17 42-31044; attacked by fighters, ditched off the coast off Calvi in Corsica. Returned to Duty (RTD) MACR 2395
Thomas Marshall Cowell
Assigned to 340BS, 97BG, 15AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Verona 14-Feb-44 in B-17 42-31044; attacked by fighters, ditched off the coast off Calvi in Corsica. Returned to Duty (RTD) MACR 2395
Tony Duca
Assigned to 340BS, 97BG, 15AF Failed to Return (FTR) Verona 14-Feb-44 in B-17 42-31044; attacked by fighters, ditched off the coast off Calvi in Corsica. Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 2395
Orville Francis Grilliot
Assigned to 340BS, 97BG, 15AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Verona 14-Feb-44 in B-17 42-31044; attacked by fighters, ditched off the coast off Calvi in Corsica. Returned to Duty (RTD) MACR 2395
Robert Henry Householder
Assigned to 340BS, 97BG, 15AF Failed to Return (FTR) Verona 14-Feb-44 in B-17 42-31044; attacked by fighters, ditched off the coast off Calvi in Corsica. Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 2395
George Joseph Murphy
(FTR) Verona 14-Feb-44 in B-17 42-31044; attacked by fighters, ditched off the coast off Calvi in Corsica. Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 2395
Armand Clarence Sedgeley
Assigned to 340BS, 97BG, 15AF USAAF. 37 x missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Verona 14-Feb-44 in B-17 42-31044; attacked by fighters, ditched off the coast off Calvi in Corsica. Returned to Duty (RTD) MACR 2395
Warder Howard Skaggs
Assigned to 340BS, 97BG, 15AF Failed to Return (FTR) Verona 14-Feb-44 in B-17 42-31044; attacked by fighters, ditched off the coast off Calvi in Corsica. Returned to Duty (RTD) MACR 2395
Report from the pilot, 2Lt Chaplick:
"When we approach the goal, the group had a more pronounced effect on the left to correct the attack-planned flight angle bend. Our plane lying on the right-wing training, I found myself displaced and especially isolated to avoid possible collision some time. This was fatal for us, for our B-17 was caught in part by enemy fire.
With two engines on fire and a third who coughed it only remained for us to do much, if not cling to orders ...
Unfortunately, our radio operator and gunner had been killed during the attack. Equally terrible, our rear gunner just had the strength to tell us over the intercom that he would die.
Suddenly, a Me-109 had the bad idea to come together steal a few moments with us, and to our left!
Immediately, the two walked browser 50 of the chin turret on it and literally riddled impacts.
German aircraft nosed by releasing a long plume of black smoke, while the P-47 came to the rescue fortunately net stopping the fight.
One of them escorted us and we took a direct course for Corsica.
Here, a call to the control tower Calvi made us know that the track was limited to receive a damaged our scale.
I then decided, despite our two engines now cut (the fire had been extinguished by the sprinkler wings), to make the first pass to assess the field. We are finding a new sea, I was doing the tried our final approach when the third affected engine stopped without having enough power at that time and immediately losing altitude, I had only one choice: ditch.
So I put the B-17 on the water, very close to and facing the citadel Calvi. The aircraft is not broke during the operation and with float a few minutes, which allowed us to evacuate except for the three gunners killed during the attack and whose bodies sank with the wreck."
Source of information and photos:
www.aerosteles.net,
www.waymarking.com
The luftwaffe fighter taking a peep likely is
Fischer, Gerhard Uffz 1/JG-77 (Italy) Bf 109G-6 Werk # 161572 "White 5" (lost 2/14/44) Wound Badge
Fighter Operational Clasp WIA 14 February, 1944 during aerial combat near Verona, bailed safely (Bf 109 Loss List).
A list of all known Axis Powers pilots and crew 1939 - 1945
aircrewremembered.com